Nipsey Hussle had a true marathon of journey vision and it was based on community, starting with his own. The Crenshaw hood community began with an artists and a vision, a store, and helping out many people who truly needed it!
Here is a sad story of a true black radical. Ermias Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le), was an American rapper and songwriter from Los Angeles, California.
Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid-2000s, Hussle initially became known for his numerous mixtapes, including his Bullets Ain’t Got No Name series, The Marathon, The Marathon Continues and Crenshaw, the last of which rapper Jay-Z bought 100 copies of for $100 each.
The Life of Nipsey Hussle
After much delay, his debut studio album Victory Lap was released in February 2018 to critical acclaim. Nipsey’s commercial success was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019.
Asghedom was born on August 15, 1985, and raised in the Crenshaw neighborhood of South Los Angeles. His father is a refugee from Eritrea to the U.S. who escaped the ongoing war in his homeland. His mother is African American from LA.
When asked about his background during an interview, Asghedom stated, “I was raised in L.A. by my mom, you know my mom’s family is black American.” I always knew my heritage from my dad but I never met my family. My dad was the only one in America – everybody else was back home. So when I went out there [Eritrea] it educated me to the other side”.
Hussle was also a member of the local Rollin 60’s Neighborhood Crips gang. His stage name, a play on the name of comic Nipsey Russell, originated as a nickname, given to Asghedom by a friend while in his teens.
Hussle was murdered outside his store, Marathon Clothing, in South Los Angeles on March 31, 2019.
#blackradical